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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. ground — a position
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. firm — steady
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. current — happening now
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bark — to shout
  17. current — electric
  18. firm — decided
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ground — the earth
  22. firm — a company
  23. current — of water
  24. track — a song

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com